Guitarist Jeff Howard and Barefoot Truth frontman Will Evans perform at Hike to the Mic on Sunday.

Guitarist Jeff Howard was still in middle school when his band, the McLovins, shot video footage of themselves performing "You Enjoy Myself," a difficult, multi-part composition by Phish, and uploaded it to YouTube.

The video brought them national attention. The McLovins appeared in Rolling Stone. They played summer festivals and started working on new music with Phish lyricist Tom Marshall.

But Howard, a Canton native, left the band at the end of 2011. He later performed with Barefoot Truth, a now-defunct Mystic-area jamband led by singer-songwriter Will Evans. On Sunday, June 21 — Father's Day — Howard and Evans reconnect at an unusual spot for a concert: Heublein Tower, at the top of Avon Mountain in Simsbury, accessible only on foot through the Talcott Mountain State Park.

Called "Hike to the Mic," the all-day show is a benefit, organized by a group called the Friends of the Heublein Tower, to keep the tower itself and surrounding structures from falling into disrepair. Simsbury band Atlas Grey also performs, along with the Kais and Dollz, a CT band made up of kids between the ages of 9 and 14, and the KC Sisters — five multi-instrumentalist sisters between 10 and 17. The festivities run from 1-8 p.m. (The park closes at sunset.)

"I would hike the Heublein Tower with my father a lot in my childhood when I was 7 or 8," Howard, now a junior at the University of Rochester, said. "The walk up was incredible, and then you get to the top and see the view. I have this one particular memory of going up with my dad. When we got to the top, I got a grape soda from the vending machine. I felt like a complete champ. It was just a moment at the time, but now I'll never forget it."

Howard began playing the guitar at 9. He practiced relentlessly and became technically proficient. But unlike many child prodigies, he also had taste and imagination. In the McLovins, Howard said, "I was basically the front man in that band. I put pressure on myself to be a virtuoso. I felt like that was the goal."

In recent years, Howard has backed off from what seems like a relentless march toward technical mastery. At Rochester, he majors in computer science and periodically takes lessons at the affiliated Eastman School of Music. "I thought I knew more about jazz before I went to college," Howard said. "I realized I really don't know anything about jazz."

After studying the standard "All of Me" for an entire year, Howard realized he doesn't even like jazz that much. "I've been exposing myself to it, but I've learned it's not really my thing. Jazz music doesn't do much for me. … I realized that to become a master, you have to listen to jazz. I never wanted to listen to jazz. It's kind of boring to me."

About a year ago, Howard started slinging his guitar lower than usual, after Blink 182's Tom DeLonge. He forgot about being super-clean and tidy in his playing. He found inspiration in George Harrison's rhythm guitar work on "Rubber Soul." "I still had my technique, but I let loose a little bit, and it felt really good," he said. "Right now I'm really playing sloppily."

All of which points to Howard's struggle with the concept of virtuosity. "I've realized that I don't want to be a virtuoso," he said. "When I think about being a virtuoso, I find that I let the intellectual aspect of guitar playing override the feeling aspect."

In computer science, Howard said, he awakened feelings he hadn't known since first picking up a guitar. "People always say those who are good at music are good at computer science," Howard said. "Maybe that's true. I'm certainly not the best computer scientist. I'm more of a natural in music. But I love the feeling of making a program. It's very empowering."

At home during the summer, Howard reconnects with his musical side, and playing with Evans is a big part of that. "He has a fantastic sense of writing songs with really gripping harmonies and melodies," Howard said. "He knows how to alter the harmonic content just enough to make it a little bit different, but still it's very accessible, both harmonically and lyrically."

Howard also performs occasionally with Stanley Maxwell, a Connecticut fusion group known for reconstructing entire classic rock albums live. As a musician, Howard simply wants to fit in somewhere.

"Whatever I'm playing, whether it's lead guitar, rhythm guitar or cowbell, I want to have a role and to fit into a band with a purpose," Howard said. "That feeling of having a purpose in a song feels really good."

HIKE TO THE MIC featuring Jeff Howard, Will Evans, Atlas Grey, the KC Sisters and the Kais and Dollz, takes place at Heublein Tower, at the top of Avon Mountain in Simsbury, from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 21. Donations are welcome. Information: hiketothemic.com.